Putin brags about interfering in U.S. elections, long-time targeting of Black Americans.

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-07/putin-praises-trump-ties-and-says-biden-may-not-be-bad-either

Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump for improving U.S.-Russia ties and said he also saw grounds for cooperation with a Joe Biden administration, while mocking claims he’s meddling in the presidential election.

Allegations of Russia’s “supposed hyperactivity” in trying to influence the U.S. elections are “completely unfounded,” Putin said in a state TV interview broadcast Wednesday, his 68th birthday. Still, he joked, the accusations helped Russia’s image by demonstrating “our incredible influence and power.”

In his most detailed comments to date on the presidential campaign, Putin said Trump “repeatedly spoke out in favor” of better relations with Russia and “we certainly appreciate it very much.” While there’s “quite sharp anti-Russian rhetoric” from the Democratic candidate, Biden has said he’s ready to extend the New START nuclear treaty or to reach a new deal limiting strategic weapons and “this is already a very serious element of our possible cooperation,” Putin said.

The Kremlin leader’s intervention comes a day after Trump announced he’s authorized the declassification of documents related to the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign. The U.S. president has denounced the allegations as a hoax, even as U.S. intelligence agencies agreed that Russia did meddle in the campaign to aid Trump, and have said that it’s doing so again to denigrate Biden.

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